FlyinIrish

Dords, you have goals and that's fine. But something you're going to learn in pilot training is that you have to plan from big to small. You're asking about lunch deals and you haven't even checked the weather yet. You'll get there, but you absolutely must prioritize your goals and just put one foot in front of the other in this career field. I hope you can laugh at yourself a little for starting this thread while you're fumbling through your first overhead pattern.
I'm a pilot training IP in the reserves and an airline pilot the rest of the time. It's a tough balancing act and should not be taken lightly. Please, please, please don't tell any of your IP's about your premature intentions to bolt for the airlines ASAP. It won't end well for you. Like I said, goals are fine, but you must prioritize.
I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you work hard and get what you earn. Also, not to be too cliche, but try and remember the old Chinese proverb that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Godspeed!
FI

Toonces

Hahahaha, best laugh I've had this week. The H-60 flies like a champ, LAMPS FOREVER, and you will enjoy a few years post active duty washing the rotor wing stink off your resume.

Seriously though, relax and do well in flight school, and enjoy your fleet tours. Go FTS VR as soon as you can and forget about the airlines until you retire.

Hilltopper89

This thread makes me angry on so many levels.

Big Salt

It sure does fly better than that pig you call the E-6

dords91 - In all reality it's fine to start your planning now if you want to have the airlines available as an option. However...

My dad (prior F-4/F-14 driver who is currently in his 36th year at Delta) pushed and pushed me to go fixed wing as he didn't want his son to be rotor trash due to the limited opportunity for the airlines after the military. Despite his advice, I chose RW when VP/VQ was on the table during my selection. I'm happy with my choice and have been able to do more rewarding and dynamic flying as a dirty helo driver than I ever would have flying in VP/VQ (and according to the old man more than he did in his VF days). Now that I'm considering getting out (not sure I want to do the DH/CO gig), I don't have the same options as my VP/VQ brethren when it comes to the airlines. With that said, I still wouldn't have done it any different.

My advice - It's good to have goals for the future, but keep your mouth shut and do the best you can in flight school. You don't graduate at the top of your class without putting in the time and knowing your systems, EPs and procedures cold. Look at the IP's in your squadron and listen to their level of satisfaction from their respective fleet tours and ask how many hours they actually flew. There is a lot of change in Naval Aviation right now and if I were in your shoes, I would base my community off of what they say, not off of what you think you want to do in the future. Then again, if you suck, you won't have a choice and you will get what's left over. Good luck.

Pilot7576

Big Salt...

Just wondering where you are in career progression; have you had your first look at 04? That topic on this board is illuminating how the navy has changed over the past 20 or so years. With aviator selection at around 50% for 04, and flying billets fewer and farther between, it would seem prudent to have that fixed wing time in your back pocket to follow in your dad's footsteps. Back in the day, 05 was just about guaranteed and 04 selection was north of 90%.

Not discounting your helo flying (my son flew H60s and had a ball) but now he is scrambling to get some heavy multi time to make him competitive for a major.

Best of luck with your future endeavors!

Pilot7576

Big Salt

I shouldn't have a problem with O-4/DH selection as I'm a WTI and am fortunate that the selection rates have stayed consistently high (have not heard of a WTI in my community not screening). With that said, I have been slowly building FW time. If I choose to get out, the plan would be to go SELRES and to rush the VR squadrons to get the ME heavy time. I still am not really interested in the airlines but it would be nice to have the option in my back pocket.

DCA A321 FO

We already know the 60 flies really smooth and HSL (West Coast) is lots of fun.

Anyone know the attrition rate in flight school so far this year?

To OP, I was given a ration of serious $hit when I took C-12 orders out of HSL, you might want to keep your objective to yourself if you make it through.

Pilot7576

Big Salt,

I've been out of the game for a while...what is a WTI?

Grumble

Just to get it out of my system....

You're getting kicked in the junk because guys care, deeply. Before you get warm and fuzzy, its not about you, but about the organization. You don't know sh!t about sh!t, you're not even close to being in the club yet, and you're already planning your exit? You haven't even gotten the chance to f it up yet, and you're already trying. Read all these posts again... and take heed. You have but one focus for the next 2-3 years of your life. Get your wings. Enjoy the ride because it sounds like you've already checked out. You're going to miss one of the greatest times in your career (if you have one) planning past it at this stage.


So with that out of the way....


For the next few years (pretty much when the JO's in your first fleet squadron say you're in), you only focus is to listen and absorb. You have no idea what you want right now. API and the VT community are a melting pot of back grounds and experience. Ask questions, listen, and like was mentioned figure out what MISSION you want. If you go P-8's because you think the almighty 737 type is your golden ticket, you may wind up hating the mission. If you hate the mission, you're going to hate your job, if you hate your job, you won't perform. If you don't perform, you're going to get crappy FITREPS. Those FITREPS will land you a sure fire crap non-flying job for your shore tour and your entire aviation career is an up hill battle at that point.

Want to hurt people and break stuff, fly off the carrier and rage in port calls? TACAIR. I'll let leave the other communities to represent themselves.

Want to know how many fighter guys there were in my new hire class at a major airline amongst all the mil guys? We had about 12 guys, all but two were fighter guys (one tanker, one Herk, the rest F-14/15/16/18/22, EA-18/6B). ZERO had a 737 type rating.

You have no idea where your career will be a DECADE from now. That's how long you're signing up for. You may decide that you love Naval Aviation and want to go career. You may get passed over for O-4 and get the boot. There are going to be good times and bad, some days you're going to be in awe that you get paid to do what you do, other days you're going to hate everything and every one. At the end of the day however those gold wings are going to open doors you don't even realize exist for opportunities you've never even heard of. It's going to be a wild ride the whole way.... don't miss it because you were too busy planning for other things.

Now, shut up and get back to your API studies. Plenty of 1000 hour pilots have failed out of API and the VT's. You're making life long friends and memories, and getting paid to learn to fly. Drink beer, chase women, have fun, for the love of GOD don't go to Vance or Enid, and above all, don't F it up. I doubt there is a pilot here that wouldn't trade places with you to go back and do it all again.

Big Salt

No worries! WTI = Weapons and Tactics Instructor. Graduate of one of the following courses which is put on by NSAWC: TOPGUN (VFA), SEAWOLF (HSM/HSC), HAVOK (VAQ), CAEWWS (VAW). I'm not sure what the VQ/VP dudes do however I know the VP guys do at least a portion of their course at NSAWC.